Since the car is under Toyota Care, nothing was charged to me. All the services up to 20000 miles are free.

BHPian guyfrmblr recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

10,000 miles & 2nd service update

The car completed running 10000 miles. Dropped the car for the second service at Westboro Toyota. Oil change, filter change, and tire rotation were done, along with the multi-point inspection. Since the car is under Toyota Care, nothing was charged to me. All the services up to 20000 miles are free.

I love driving this car. The engine has really opened up now and breathes easier. I did multiple long drives over the last couple of months with the longest one to Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a one-way distance of around 1200 miles. All the other drives were isolated to multiple hiking trips to New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. I was a bit apprehensive of the low GC during winter as we get a good amount of snow in the Northeast. It hasn't been a bother until now. I have driven to remote locations in New Hampshire & Maine in peak winter without any troubles. The FE remains on the lower side, I get an average of 23 MPG.

Some salt-covered pics of the car:

Free of salt after a nice wash:

I have installed the 70Mai A810 4K dual channel dash cam and am happy with the performance. I have been using 70Mai cameras in my previous cars and hence decided to stick with this brand as I have found them to be reliable in the past:

Unlike the front camera, the rear one just captures 1080p videos, but the quality is decent:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The 9th-gen Toyota Camry will reach showrooms in the United States in 2024.

Toyota has taken the wraps off the 9th-generation Camry. The popular sedan will only be available with a hybrid powertrain in either front-wheel or all-wheel drive configurations.

The Toyota Camry is powered by a 2.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol hybrid paired with an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (eCVT). The front-wheel drive version gets two electric motors with a combined output of 222 BHP. The all-wheel drive version gets an additional motor-generator on the rear axle, bumping the overall output to 229 BHP.

The new Camry is based on the same TNGA-K platform as the outgoing model but features a revised suspension setup. Toyota claims that the changes have made the car more responsive and agile.

Toyota has also made significant changes to the Camry’s exterior design. While the massive trapezoidal grille has been retained, the nose section has been redesigned and now features sleek U-shaped LED signature lights.

Inside, the Camry gets an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, while higher variants get 12.3-inch displays as well as a 10-inch head-up display. Other features include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, and a 9-speaker JBL audio system.

The Camry is also equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, which includes safety features like adaptive cruise control, lane-departure assist, road sign assist, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, pedestrian detection and rear cross-traffic alert. Traffic jam assist, front cross-traffic alert, lane-change assist, panoramic view monitor, and front and rear parking assist with automatic braking are available as part of an optional package on higher trims.

The 9th-gen Toyota Camry will reach showrooms in the United States in 2024.

I cannot forgive myself for such a decision based on such offers, and the financial planning done for the same goes for a toss.

BHPian ICECutlet recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Let me start my Team-BHP journey by asking you all 2 simple questions, and later state the horrible experience faced with my recent purchase of a Toyota Camry 2.5 Hybrid in Burning Black shade from Saini Toyota, Kolkata.

“You purchase a car marketed to you with a buyback offer/scheme on the 5th Year/60 Months (with written details of Offer, Car Details and Terms) on Dealership/Company Letterhead with stamp sign. NOTE: This copy of letterhead was sent on two email IDs of the Dealership with other pending lists with the Subject line being TOYOTA CAMRY BUYBACK.

After one month, while speaking to the Head of Guest Relations and brand Customer Care on a call for other pending accessories, cashback and matters, it urged a discussion of this offer, and this lady informed me that there was no such offer(with shock).

Further, they clearly & easily informed me that it was not valid and it was under the capacity of the employee of the dealership (of Toyota).

TIME MACHINE runs you to the 5th year-end:

Q1. Whom would you go for the buyback offer - Rs. 31 Lakhs approx. (as per present Ex-showroom price)

The Sales Executive? The other employees or owner of the Dealership? The Brand’s AWESOME Telephone/Email Customer Care? The Toyota Trust(Used car)? Consumer Complaint Forum? NCDRC(dot)NIC(dot)IN? Legal Case?

Q2. How do you report and prevent such wrong experiences and ill-commitments by dealerships where the brand is not participating in any matters as listed below? “

The need for an upgrade from Skoda Superb 1.8TSI:

We were using the 2012 model of this car, and performance was upgraded to Stage 2+ by Tuneotronics, Bangalore. I have ridden this car a lot since I started driving, and have driven around for a good 11+ years, although among the hustles with Skoda’s After Sales Service network which was not present in Kolkata for a good 2+ Years. (The Skoda’s DSG is another day’s thread that I will write). The car faced an engine breakdown, and it was a lot more to maintain it this time, so decided to part ways, with this Skoda aka Jahaaj.

The must-haves for a new ride must be a sedan, back seat space & comfort, brand reliability, after-sales, and strong engine efficiency. So, after all, rounds of blogs, vlogs, test drives and feedback concluded that the Toyota Camry for its back seat ride, space and comfort like no other in the segment, Toyota’s after-sales cost, fitting my pocket, and decent features available on this Hybrid which must be a CKD or SKD, afaik. I felt I made a fair decision rather than hitting on the Premium Brands.

After visiting and understanding the delivery time frame and offers from both Topsel and Saini Toyota in Kolkata, I booked the better deal at Saini Toyota, which was as follows:

1. Quick Delivery (Although the colour decision changed in between), and it was delayed to July end, booking done in February;
2. Rs. 1 Lakh Discount;
3. FOC accessories - Front Door Lamps 2pcs, Floor Mats;
4. Most Importantly Buyback offer is at 67% on or before the 60th Month.

The Hustle starts:

I was informed in mid-July about the car being in transit, and I can come for a quick PDI just 4 days from then. I was very happy.

I loved the look of the Burning Black colour with Purple pearls in this metallic shade on this car. Sat to finalise the timelines ahead and was informed of the Ex-showroom Price Hike of Rs. 88,000, whereupon negotiating an offer from the manager Mr Simon, finalised with additional Cash Discount as Cashback of Rs. 70,000.

Did the payment transfer, as per my commitments on 25th July 2023, and was promised quick delivery, and with regret and all hustles got it delivered on 3rd August 2023, An unfortunate delay due to which the car was standing inside my garage until 23rd August 2023, due to good mahurat days for car Puja.

Note: I took the delivery with all necessary documents and, most importantly the buyback offer document.

I sent them the received/ pending issues via email on 5th August and marked a cc to other executives, as the dealership was not ready to write the same on the car delivery note. I also made the necessary remarks and requested the Home demo on Toyota Bharat’s Form given to me for my father and brother.

After more than one and a half months of delay to deliver the promised, after repeated emails, WhatsApp and calls, I finally decided to write to Toyota Customer Care, and the GM, Sales Head, CRM and CEO of the dealership came into the scenario and started to understand the below-mentioned concerns, which I have been given to them in writing, and all they had was to “regret the inconvenience caused” where also they had multiple irrelevant reasons to offer for all the delay. Till today, no one from the Toyota Team has gotten in touch to resolve the matter rather I had to arrange the contact of Mr. Varun Gupta, from Toyota, looking after this dealer, who also was supposed to revert by 25th September 2023, but unfortunately not to rescue me.

How I came to know of this fishy fraud:

So, in between all this, while speaking to customer care and CRM Saswati, in a quick discussion, I told her that “today he is in your company and you are not aware of the cash-back since it is on WhatsApp and no emails, tomorrow if the advisor is not there in your company, you will tell me that the Buyback is not in your knowledge, so the Letterhead would only help me” and to my shock it was found that Saini Toyota does not offer this particular buyback scheme!

The representatives of Saini Toyota visited my office to consider it invalid, and they cannot offer such offers. NOTE - Mr. Simon accepted in front of all colleagues that he had offered me the same with no undue pressure or forced situations. (I have recently learnt how fraud can be diverged)

I regret this has been one of the most horrible experiences and pathetic situations, with the problems faced as under:

1. 67% Buyback after five years offered on Saini*Toyota*letterhead with Stamp seal, with Terms & Conditions during the purchase of the car-*now being informed to me that it is “not validated” by Saini Toyota, and offered by the sales executive on his capacity. My POV: How can I understand by this document that it is on who’s capacity executive or Dealership until founded? This offer was informed to me during the Test Drive around February, and based on this, I decided on such a strong and lucrative offer.
2. Because of the above lucrative plan, decided to purchase the ICICI LOMBARD (a precondition for the offer) Insurance as well as the car from Saini Toyota at an extra cost of Rs. 34,000/- approximately, which was again an extra burden where I had informed Mr Simon of the offer I am getting outside.
3. The cash-back amount of Rs. 70,000/- was transferred back from Mr Simon's bank account on 20th September 2023, instead of Gurmaan Automobiles Pvt Ltd, and further, no descriptive email for accounting purposes has been received to date. This delay of an additional 20-25 days, was done after all possible requests and emails to the entire team. I felt as if I owed him and the dealership, for which they are not letting this conclude.
4. For the Front Door 2 Lamps Accessories, it was left on to Toyota Kirloskar for the delay and not ready, whereby another dealer Topsel Toyota, was ready to deliver me quickly in 3-4 days. So I have declined to install on the car until the primary concerns are solved. This accessory installation seems to be irrelevant and not committed for this dealership.
5. Delivery of the car delayed more than seven days. Payment date 25/07/23, delivery date 04/08/23. Because of this, the car couldn’t be driven around for 20 more days due to the good mahurat days of the Puja Ritual, written earlier.
6. Had requested for Home Demo of the car on a form offered by Saini*Toyota*during delivery, but for one month after the regular requests, and with no confirmation on the date and time, cancelled my request on 31/08/2023. It seems that no reports, forms, or papers are being read by seniors who are there in the dealership, which I had requested in the form given to me. I state the above due to quick feedback given on the other delivery papers; the CRM should be reading to help customers.
7. The dealer collected a Misc. Charges amounted to Rs. 12,346/- and gave me a debit note. When asked for an Invoice of the same to clear the accounts, they could not comply and informed me it was as per their pricelist. Here, this manager, Mr. Simon, was arrogant enough to inform me to send a request email for a refund, which sounds unreasonable and illogical to a person. At last, they refunded me the extra amount.
8. In short, the overall experience, dealing, sale and after-sale of purchasing the most premium*Toyota* sedan product was very sad and unpleasant for me, and unfortunately, I cannot forgive myself for such a decision based on such offers, and the financial planning done for same goes for a toss.*

On any next purchase, my steps of Intra & Post Delivery would be:

1. To necessarily take a receipt of all pending points from the Sales advisor, signed by another senior on the hierarchy.
2. To call and meet in person, update about special offerings, at least two 2 immediate senior hierarchies, and validate it also before the car gets registered on my name.
3. I have this habit of asking for invoices(including Road Tax, Registration, Fancy Number charges, Fastag, HSRP, and Insurance) for the entire amount of payments to the dealership. Payment of Rs. X should = Invoices of Rs. X.

Never accept debit notes as a valid document for payments done to the dealer. They cannot keep holding Debit notes. Members are strong in accounts, could you also clarify your stand on the same?

I suggest as a forum, we can make more detailed pointers and create awareness for all three Delivery Inspection situations- especially INTRA & POST period, and update such brands about malpractices or fraud being done at their dealership to sell cars and reluctantly being pointed on the Manager and no responsibility of the dealer.

Presently, I would like to ask fellow Team-BHP members to guide and advise on how to prevent myself from this situation, along with the above 2 questions and what steps are at my disposal.

• I decided to purchase this car after receiving such a lucrative scheme, but as a consumer, I am at a loss now, as the offer is not validated.
• At,Toyota, is this the Customer after Sales? False commitments and wrong experiences?
• Is it also the same across all Toyota dealers in India? On top of that no help from anyone from, Toyota. I have heard of really good experiences from Toyota, but unfortunately, my first-hand experience is very horrible. Please see - my immediate family owns Corolla Altis, Innova Crysta, and Glanza.
• Are such practices applicable and acceptable at Toyota?

As a customer, I am left helpless and hopeless of such fraudulent malpractice to sell a car!

Until then, Happy Driving!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The flex-fuel Toyota Corolla Altis Hybrid was showcased in India last year.

Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport and Highways, has stated that we will soon have vehicles that run on 100% ethanol in India. He was speaking during an event held in Nagpur.

Gadkari also revealed that Toyota was set to launch the flex-fuel version of the Camry in the country in August this year. It must be noted that the minister had made a similar statement at the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers' (SIAM) summit last year as well.

A flex-fuel engine can run on petrol blended with ethanol or methanol or pure ethanol. Vehicles powered by flex-fuel engines are currently available in a few international markets, including Brazil, USA and Canada.

In October 2022, Toyota showcased the flex-fuel Corolla Altis Hybrid in India. The car uses a 1.8-litre engine producing 101 BHP and 142.2 Nm. The engine is paired with a 72 BHP electric motor and a 1.3 kWh battery pack.

Source: News18

The new-gen Camry is also expected to borrow design cues from the Toyota Crown.

Toyota is said to be working on a new-generation iteration of its best-selling mid-size sedan, the Camry.

According to reports, the new-generation Toyota Camry might not get a radical design change but will feature significant upgrades, both to its exterior and interior. The upcoming sedan could also feature new engine options as well.

Ahead of its global unveil, a prototype of the new-gen Toyota Camry was spotted undergoing testing. The spy images of the sedan don't reveal too many details, thanks to the heavy camouflage all around the car. However, the car does seem to carry forward similar overall dimensions as the current version. The new-gen Camry is also expected to be underpinned by the same TNGA-K platform while borrowing design cues from the Toyota Crown.

The interiors of the new-gen Toyota Camry will also get a major update. This could be in the form of a larger infotainment screen with the latest OS, a new digital instrument cluster and a bunch of added features and tech.

While Toyota is yet to officially announce any specifications of the upcoming Camry, reports suggest that the new sedan could get the 236 BHP all-wheel-drive hybrid setup. Lower variants are expected to be powered by a 203 BHP 2.5-litre four-cylinder unit. Toyota could also offer a more powerful 2.4-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine producing 265 BHP in certain markets.

Reports state that the new-gen Toyota Camry could be unveiled sometime by late-2023 and go on sale internationally in 2024

Source: Car&Driver

The flagship sedan from Toyota is offered in over 100 countries with cumulative sales of over 21 million by the end of 2022.

According to reports, Toyota Motor will be discontinuing sales of its popular Camry sedan in the Japanese market.

The company is already said to have notified its dealerships that they will stop domestic sales by the end of the year. Toyota though will continue production for export purposes. The domestic sales will discontinue in a phase-wise manner, with Toyota already having stopped taking new orders for the sedan. The new Camry models which are under development by Toyota will be sold exclusively in international markets.

The Toyota Camry has been on sale since 1980. Today, the flagship sedan from Toyota is offered in over 100 countries with cumulative sales of over 21 million by the end of 2022. The Toyota Camry is especially popular in the USA, registering more than 13 million units. It was also the top-selling passenger vehicle in the USA for 15 years straight until 2016.

The Camry also enjoys good demand in other global markets. However, the same it seems, cannot be said about its sales in the home market. The sedan managed to sell just 6000 units in Japan last year, as SUVs and minivans are gaining more popularity in the Japanese market.

Source: Asia.Nikkei

Out on the open roads, the car is easy to drive. The DSG is butter smooth & you have plenty of power on tap.

BHPian Conquistador recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Finally, after nearly a year of searching and waiting, I got my car.

My search started with Slavia in Nov 2021. It looked awesome in blue. However family and friends suggested an SUV. This led me to Seltos (features and looks) and also the MG Astor (wine red interiors and the ADAS). Almost narrowed it down to the Astor, however, the heavily porous roof liner looked cheap with the huge sunroof. But the Slavia and Virtus were always tugging at the heart.

VW Virtus booking & the wait

I booked the Virtus GT in the 3rd week of April. I was offered white/silver on the day of the price reveal (9th of June). But Blue was the one. The VW team also increased the wait time from their initial promise of June 20th for the Blue GT to the 1st week of August.

I am reiterating that VW/Skoda has to work on their customer service and ASS.

On the day of the delivery, I was barely given a talk about the features etc. No safety tips, no mention of the 1-month free checkup or free services or anything. I did get their service pack for 4 years and the 5th-6th year extended warranty.

I got the accessories but feel it is a rip-off for INR 13k. The only useful things are the blinds and the mats. The torch didn't have a battery either. The car cost me around 21.9 lakhs on road (22.23 lakhs sticker) and 22.4 in total with the extended warranty and the service pack. Was offered around 30k discount in all.

After all this ordeal, I think I punched way above my weight here. The car is a beauty. The blue pops like anything. Few pics, don't mind the dirt and lousy pictures, I am no good at taking pictures.

Initial thoughts

I just keep running down to my apartment's parking to sneak a peek. My apartment parking also feels like it is built for hatchbacks, somehow accommodates it barely and it sticks out quite literally. I barely managed to get it in the box after a 10-minute back and forth, with the help of a few people. This I have to get used to.

It is a big car, and the length really becomes apparent in parking lots with cramped spaces with multiple pillars or 2-story lift parking. You really feel the lack of a 360-degree camera, and the shoddy reverse camera makes it a bit of a downer. I also miss the electronic seat adjustment and decent storage.

The ambient lighting feels cheap and like an afterthought, it stops half or a quarter way from the end, it starts on the dash (passenger side) and doesn't extend till the steering wheel like in Taigun.

Would've liked a sunglass holder and a key card/change holder on the right side of the steering wheel under the light knob or something like an old Camry I used to have. Enough rants.

Once out on the open roads, the car is easy to drive, being automatic and all. DSG is buttery smooth and you have plenty of power on tap. I turned off the auto start-stop as it was quite aggressive and it didn't want me to baby the car in traffic.

The air-conditioning is good, but the ventilated seats are OK at best, I barely even felt it.

Filled HP power from their outlet, the SA recommended regular fuel though. Full tank showed a range of 560KMs, on the first refill, immediately after the delivery (had a nearly empty tank with a 40km range at the time of delivery). I drove around 60-65 km, averaging 10.5kmpl, at the end the range shows some 410kms now. I am out for the next couple of weeks on vacation and will just miss it.

Protection - PPF/Ceramic

I did enquire about PPF in my city. The showroom has a tie-up with a 3M outlet and is offering the full exterior PPF for around 80K (have to check if the roof is covered). This price is similar to other vendors as well like "Detailing Mafia" and a couple of other local vendors. This 80k cost is for their base model film with a 3-year warranty (no self-healing or fluid repelling). The cost goes up with the additional warranty like 5 yrs or more with self-healing and hydrophobic layers. Llumar with 12 years warranty was coated around 2.25 lakhs.

A local company offers a brand called "MotoGlanz" which claims it has a ceramic coat in the top layer aiding the shiny look and self-healing capabilities.

Still undecided on what to do here.

Thanks to the forum and many of the posts, have learnt a lot of things which now help me take care of my car and enjoy it to the fullest extent.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

On the same 25 km stretch, the fuel efficiency of my VW Polo is 10 km/l while the Camry returns 21.2 km/l.

BHPian anvay recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Can't wait for the delivery of my Toyota Camry.

Why Camry?

In Dec 2021, We (My wife and your's truly) decided to buy a 2nd car for our household. We already have a Nov 21 VW Polo GT TSI, which has given us no trouble. It's still punchy enough to have safe fun within the legal limits. However, with both of us working and offices eventually opening, we needed a 2nd car.

Budget: Everything included < Rs 70 lakh

Non-negotiable features

• Powered seats for front passengers with memory function ( I am 6 ft and my wife 5,2)
• Ventilated seats
• Moon Roof
• Keyless entry

Subjective bias in decision making

1. We prefer buying the top variant with no 3rd party modification in the car, ever! Upgrades can be considered only from OEM (Eg: Head unit from VW for CarPlay in our polo).
2. We intend to drive our cars from showroom to end of reliability (If I can't take my car on a 1000 km long ad-hoc road trip with confidence then we don't consider it reliable).

Cars Considered

Mercedes-Benz

Badge attracts. Both GLA and GLC were considered.

We were attracted to GLA as the GLC's top end was out of budget.

The lack of some features like keyless entry and ventilated seats was leaving a bad aftertaste.

We test drove a day after sitting in an Innova cab. In the rear seat, the engine rumble was similar which made us evaluate petrol cars only. (If Merc's diesel is noisy we can't be happy with any other brand). Petrol GLA was a FWD and not considered.

Skoda Kodiaq L&K

Loved at first sight, booked 2 hours after the announcement on 10th Jan. 4 days later, after watching other reviews online wife wanted to change the colour from White to Blue. We asked the sales advisor if it will impact our delivery date on changing colour, and he assured us that it should not impact the delivery date as manufacturing has not yet started. However, in Feb we got an email from Skoda stating we are not a part of the 2022 delivery and the ETA for delivery will be shared in Jan. We became furious and decided to cancel the car immediately.

Over the next weekend, many cars crossed our minds (Creta, Tuscon, XUV 700, Superb, Camry, 330Li).

We decided to go for either 330Li, Superb or Camry.

BMW 330Li

Compared to Polo within the legal speed limits, I was not able to connect with the driver's car feel I read about soo much. Due to chip shortage as per sales person, different cars had some of the features missing. One car did not have gesture control, another did not have HUD. He was not able to assure us what features will be missing in a car if we book now and also retrofitting by BMW once the chip shortage is over was not also on the cards. BMW also felt expensive on the maintenance and service price.

Toyota Camry

During the car buying time Camry was updated and now had Android Auto/Car play. Because it was missing earlier I did not consider it. We were impressed with the central armrest, 3 zone AC, reclining rear seat and amazing mileage (On the same 25 km stretch my Polo gives 10 km/l while Camry gave 21.2 km/l. BTW, I drained the battery in EV mode for ~ 1km before starting the trip meter).

Skoda Superb

We already had a bad aftertaste of Skoda but still decided to visit once again for superb, TBHP had an inclination towards Superb. After the superb's test drive we felt Camry was one upgrade cycle ahead of superb hence some features were better. ( 3 zones vs 2 zones, reclining seat). However, was Rs ~8l worth of difference worth for hybrid vs non-hybrid? We made an excel sheet on estimated ownership cost and booked the Camry.

PDI is scheduled for 1 Jun and I just can't wait.

Update: PDI on June 2, 2022

The wait was not too bad. We booked the car at the end of Feb 2022 and the delivery of the car is tomorrow morning.

With respect to your question on justifying the cost. It's subjective, I can share a few data points that direct me towards owning a car, but every person thinks differently.

My reasons:

• We have a dog. That too a Saint Bernard
• I have been stuck in the past for many hours because of my reliance on app-based cabs.

BTW, here are some pics from the PDI.

Update: Delivery on June 3, 2022

The not-so-little Red Riding Hood is finally with us. I will post a detailed review later. Uploading a few snaps for now.

Ordering Red was a gut feeling as we had not seen the colour in person, but absolutely love the glitter in sun.

A shoot out to Ravindu Toyota in Bellandur, Bengaluru. Because of a mistake on the delivery date from their side, they gave an additional 10-litre fuel in the car. I like that they were apologetic and did everything in their capability to make the experience a happy one.

Will post the drive reviews as and when we hit milestones. If all goes well we might go for a Bangalore-Delhi drive soon.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

It's fairly quick off the line, upshifts are seamless and there are no jerky power surges typical of turbocharged engines.

BHPian ajslave recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Let me introduce the star of this thread: Snow white (swhite). It's a 2020 Toyota Camry AWD in "SE Upgrade" trim that I bought new last November here in Toronto, Canada. The car currently has ~25k km on it.

2020 Camry AWD SE Upgrade

Specifications:

• 2020 Toyota Camry SE AWD with Upgrade package
• 2.5L D4-S naturally-aspirated inline-four 16V DOHC direct and port-injected (non-hybrid)
• 202bhp @ 6600rpm
• ~245Nm @ 5000rpm
• 8 speed torque converter
• All-wheel drive (new for the 2020 model year)
• 235/45/R18 Hankook tires and disc brakes all-round

What's great?

• Reliable 2.5L i4 engine that Toyota has nearly perfected over the years and is in use in the RAV4, Avalon, Lexus IS, Lexus ES, etc. in addition to the Camry.
• Adequate performance: 0-100kph in just under 8 seconds, enough reserve power even at 100kph for passing
• Efficient: does 16-19kpl on the average commute consisting of 70% highway + 30% crawling city traffic. 20kpl (5L/100kms) on extended highway runs!
• On-demand all-wheel drive for the winter here that is surprisingly capable
• Sporty suspension tuning- provides great grip and minimal roll while not trading ride quality too much (again- the LE/XLE trims are more comfort-tuned in this department)
• Well-equipped in the SE Upgrade trim with a moon-roof (not pano), 8" infotainment + 7" Multi-info display, heated seats + heated steering wheel + heated ORVMs, auto headlights, etc.
• Well-rounded Safety package: 10 airbags, Toyota Safety Sense including autonomous emergency braking, pedestrian/ animal alert, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assist and lane departure warning.
• Classic sedan proportions with a good measure of aggressive and contemporary cues thrown in ("No more boring" in Akio Toyoda's words). Sporty inclination in the SE/XSE line-up (versus the LE/XLE line-up that are sold in India and are more luxury-oriented)

What isn't?

• Not the most engaging drive- mostly due to the old-school transmission (more on this later). It sometimes downshifts 3 gears to pick up 5kph of speed (more noticeable when using adaptive cruise control)!
• Over-styled front fascia may not appeal to all tastes- I don't mind it, but I'd have preferred a slightly more "mature" look myself.
• Not cheap anymore- $36k (all currencies in CAD) for the trim I selected, but even the lower-end ones are upward of $28k (breaching the psychological $25k barrier)
• More jack of all trades than master of any- which makes it an "appliance"
• No audiophile-level sound: JBL audio is only offered in XSE and XLE (and isn't all that great either)
• Fewer colour options in Canada than in the US. The "Blue print" shade that looks gorgeous would've been my first pick.
• Some nice-to-haves aren't offered in North America (rear armrest like in the Indian Camry, memory seats, overall "premium feel")

The run-up

I moved to Canada a little under two years ago and was itching on getting back to driving and riding (the latter is yet to be accomplished). I owned a pre-worshipped 2006 Honda Civic SMT back home in Bangalore and had the best 4 years of automotive ownership on it, which I sold prior to moving to a friend who continues to worship it. Here's a quick picture before I move on from my automotive iVTEC R18A hangover:

The ex that I haven't gotten over:

For the first year in Canada, I had remote jobs for the most part and needed to only rely on public transit to get around. But a new job in October forced me to get on to the driving scene quicker than I had planned to (I hadn't made much headway in getting my driving license here, thanks to the pandemic).

I've always looked at new car purchases as a financially ill decision so I immediately jumped into the used car market looking at everything from beater Civics (~$10k) to used 3/4 series and A6s (~$30k). I drove several examples and saw several more but the interest rates + bank fees from dealerships can be super high considering a weak credit situation that newcomers face. It was highly unappealing to pay close to 15-20% more in fees + higher interest rates compared to what I was offered by new car dealers/ my own bank for any new car purchase.

Now to be really honest (and which is highly uncharacteristic of me), I didn't really do a whole lot of research into the new cars that I could buy. But I did know this much:

• No crossovers- I just don't need the practicality that a crossover offers, and I have a thing for dynamics that crossovers generally can't match (I may be met with resistance here- and I recognize that crossovers like the Mazda CX-5 at this price point and the Macan at much higher price points are close to sedans/ sportcars).
• No SUVs- again, no need of the extra space. There's a phase almost every North American family will reach (kids) when a soccer mom van/ SUV becomes imperative but I'm not there yet.
• Pickup trucks- I've always been a sedan person but with an increasing passion for overlanding, my interest in trucks like the Tacoma has piqued since moving to Canada. Also looked at the Chevy Colorado ZR2- but both options were significantly more expensive and would be overkill for my current needs (commuting 120kms each day and driving alone 95% of the time).

That left me with sedans such as the Camry and the Accord- and one of the casual website enquiries on the Toyota build tool had led to a pre-approval for a Camry. Made an appointment and headed to the dealer after work one day.

Test-drive experience & selecting a trim

I went into the Toyota dealer with little enthusiasm for any of their offerings (except the Tacoma of course- which will most likely be my next purchase in a year or so).

(Side note: Car dealerships in North America are a thing of marvel. In India, I worked in Toyota's plants but got to visit some of the largest dealerships in India as part of my work, but the scale of those pales in comparison. Here's a little perspective: this Toyota dealer that I bought from has on-site inventory of over 6000 cars)

I casually walked around looking at their demo cars but this Camry somehow stole my attention:

A dealership demo of the "Nightshade" edition

Still, it was just an appliance.

I got around to discussing the trims with my salesperson and quickly realized I've been ignorant all along, believing the Camry only came with a CVT (big turn-off for me) and only in FWD. Only the hybrids were CVT (and not bad ones at that) and 2020 revived AWD for the Camry for the first time since 1991. Here's a summary of the trims (if I remember correctly, there are about 16 different trim/powertrain combos to choose from):

Powertrain options:

• 2.5L i4 Gasoline with 8-speed automatic (FWD/ AWD)- available in all trims
• 2.5l i4 Gas+hybrid with CVT (FWD)- available in LE/SE
• 3.5l V6 making 301bhp with 8-speed automatic (FWD)- available in XSE/ TRD trims

Trim levels:

"Luxury" line-up- characterized by softer suspension, lighter interior colours, less aggressive front & rear design

• L (discontinued for 2021)
• LE
• XLE (this is what's offered in India, if I'm not mistaken)

"Sporty" line-up- characterized by firmer suspension, choice of only black or red interiors and the sporty appearance front & rear

• SE
• SE Nightshade
• SE Upgrade
• XSE
• TRD (V6 only)

The SE Upgrade in AWD spec is better equipped than the SE Upgrade in FWD spec... yeah, it's all confusing. The 2021 Model year added more complexity (read: confusion) by adding XLE and XSE trims to the Hybrid.

This is the beauty of the North American car market though- being spoilt for choice is a real issue to deal with. (Ford cars like the Bronco take top honours in this round with a gazillion ways to spec your car).

In no time, I was handed the keys to a 2020 AWD SE demo car (with the upgrade package that I was interested in) and got to go on a long test drive on the highway + city roads. Was a pleasant surprise to note how well it drove, significantly better than the Korean sedans and the CVT Civic I'd extensively driven in Canada- had great (heavy) steering feel, drove planted on the highway, was well equipped, etc. The "Meh"s in my head reduced in frequency while the "Hmmm"s increased....

Came back to the dealer, discussed the pricing + availability, put down a $1000 refundable deposit just in case I did decide to go ahead with this purchase.

Over the next few days, did some window shopping on the internet to look at equivalent new car options (had ruled out the used at this point). A huge part of owning a car here is the insurance, which depends on several factors like the area we live in, driving history, presence of safety features, etc. Just for perspective, annual insurance prices can range from $1200 to $6000 depending on those factors. I once got an insurance quote for a used 2013 C300 4-matic for $9600/year, owing to its age + outdated safety features + theft rates + my new driving record. No typos here. I do live in Toronto which has higher insurance prices than smaller towns.

The other serious contenders

1. Honda Accord- the most significant competitor. Pros? It's a Honda- thus feels like family to me. Drives well (better than the Camry), good interiors (more minimalistic than the Camry's edgy interiors), similar efficiency and costs. Why didn't I pick this? I know I can't digest its pseudo-fastback looks but that wasn't really the reason. No AWD is offered + it was just another appliance-option and I overlooked all other appliance options.
2. Subaru WRX- the non-appliance threat. I was seriously interested in this- considering it is frighteningly close in terms of starting price. But add the manual (heck no, I'm not buying the CVT) and a few other options and the price shot up to over $10k more than the Camry. Not a lot considering what I'd get but insurance quotes were 40% higher than the Camry's and that was a downer. Enthusiast pipe dreams can wait.
3. Acura TLX- I really do like this car. It looks great, drives great. But a sticker price of over $10k more than the Camry didn't justify it. And the subsequent facelift (which came out a few weeks after I bought the Camry) was going to be significantly better so I looked away.

I didn't really bother looking at too many other options (German cars new were ruled out- so were the Koreans and the Americans).

The final choice and welcoming swhite

Called the dealer a week after the test drive, told them I'd be interested in pursuing this purchase. Since I was pre-approved, the final approval took <2 hours- just had to email some documents and that was it.

The sales rep called me to confirm my colour + trim. I opted for "Super White" over the only other option that I was also considering (Supersonic red- way too vibrant for me). Trim of choice was SE Upgrade AWD.

Was promised a delivery date 10 days later- since they had no inventory of the AWD trims. That worked for me okay, but when the delivery day came closer, there were slight delays in registration (Thanksgiving weekend if I remember correctly).

The day eventually came (November 12)- the day I take delivery of my first new car.

A picture of swhite from D-day:

Shopped for winter tires on new rims and a dashcam on the next day:

Some more exterior shots

Here's a more recent picture- with the stock all-seasons and rims back on the car (I dipped the rims myself- not a fan of chrome)

Price Breakdown:

I paid $35k before 13% taxes and a $1.5k add-on for the extended warranty + prepaid maintenance for 120k kms + rust prevention. Discounts of around $1.5k on the actual MSRP of $36.4k plus $500 on the maintenance package were offered.

The Camry lineup starts at $28k and goes all the way to $42k- there's some overlap between top-trim Camry and the Avalon (even the Lexus ES).

Continue reading ajslave's ownership experience for more insights, information and BHPian comments.

An oncoming truck's dash cam video shows the Toyota Camry lose control and fly off the road.

A shocking car accident in Yuba City, California, USA has been caught on video, showing a Toyota Camry flying through the air, before slamming to the ground in front of an oncoming truck.

As seen from the truck's dashcam video, the Toyota Camry loses control, launches off an embankment, flies through the air, and topples over multiple times, before coming to a halt roof down in front of an oncoming truck.

The truck wasn't speeding and was hence able to stop in its track a few feet away. Also, the Toyota Camry managed to squeeze past a couple of electrical power lines, without touching them. The video shows the truck driver immediately call 911 and run over to rescue the Camry driver.

Judging by the video, the person driving the Toyota Camry did seem to be doing high speeds, before losing control of the car. Fortunately, however, the driver is said to have miraculously survived the horrific accident, suffering only minor injuries in the process.

Source: ViralHog/YouTube